So I thought it was high time that I do a recent or up to date lesson on how to draw anime bodies, step by step. The last time I made one of these humongous lessons was like two years ago and since then my anime drawing skills have improved. I practically worked on this tutorial for like five hours last night and the end results will most definitely help those of you that have been struggling with drawing anime or anime bodies in general. This lesson is packed with helpful tip steps that will put you in the right track to drawing anime figures better than ever. I told my friend that this tut is probably the biggest anime body lesson I have ever made, so I do hope in comes in handy for you folks that love anime. I haven't really done a lot of anime concept drawings lately, but I do plan on creating more figures to go with the upcoming holiday and seasonal theme. In this tutorial you will learn everything you really need to know when it comes to making anime characters your own way. I don't really know what else to say except have fun, learn something new, and be sure to upload what you drew by using this tutorial as your guide. I have to get going because there is more for me to submit before the day is through. Adios people and have a blast with drawing anime bodies.

How to Draw Anime Bodies, Draw Anime Body Figures

STEP 1.

Have you've ever sat down, and had this extravagant vision to create from pencil to paper? As you sketch, you start to realize, that your vision isn't turning out so well. You pace and sweat, scribble, and erase. In the end, you result with something totally arbitrary to your original vision. This is because, unskilled artists see things differently than skilled artists. A skilled artist knows their limits by 'learning' and experimenting; most of all, practicing. As you learn to draw, your passion will overpower that feeling of 'defeat'. This simple tutorial, will touch base with very basic principles of drawing anime bodies.

STEP 2.

Before you rush into drawing a body figure, you must ALWAYS plan the figure in a basic rough concept. Never sketch something and begin finalizing it without overlooking it as a whole. I would advise that you plan out a pose in skeletal lines or guidelines before you finalize with functional body parts. If you have a weak foundation, you will have a weak finalization. Train yourself to sketch quickly as soon as you get that 'vision' of your drawing. It really does help!

STEP 3.

Like I said in the previous step, it's critical that you sketch the 'skeleton lines' of the figure before you draw the literal limbs and body structure. If you do not have a strong and accurate guideline to build form on, you will have total and utter slop. It's actually easier than it appears, to draw from guidelines, because it gives you an advantage to draw accurately. Take 30 minutes and roughly sketch out a variety of poses by observing various references. The bigger your arsenal of practiced drawn poses, the better your chances at creating dynamic poses on hand.

STEP 4.

Now, a major flaw I see with novice artists (don't worry, I'm not punning anyone), is that they don't understand the concept of 'balance', which is very important when drawing believable poses. Balance is basically the plank that holds all our weight evenly, so we can function without hassle. When we alter that balance (either by climbing a tilted ladder, or climbing up a mountain), it becomes unreliable and unexpected. In this figure, all the weight is balanced on the left leg, leaving the right leg and other limbs free to any advances in movement.

STEP 5.

When drawing a male figure, keep in mind that they are less curvaceous than females. Their bodies are box-like and defined. They have more muscle mass and agility. Their shoulders are broader, creating a sharp and bold physique all together. From the side view, you can see how the body is perfectly straight with no prominent curves like women. The grey line indicates the line of motion or 'balance' for the figures.

STEP 6.

Here's just a basic overview on three main body types for men. The first one is of course, the muscular or 'body builder'. The body has thin defining lines that indicate tone and definition of muscle mass. As we scale down to the average body, you'll see how the details because less intense. The pink arrows point to the lines which give the figure realism and depth. If you're going to draw a muscular character, I would consider viewing a mass amount of reference photos of muscular men.

STEP 7.

Female Anatomy Basics| The difference between drawing female figures, is that females are generally more 'curvy' than males. The hips and shoulders are almost ALIGNED perfectly when compared vertically to one another. It's best to observe references of the female body in motion to get a general idea on how it poses in diverse formats. If needed, get yourself a posable mannequin. Note* A typical height of a female is 6-7 heads. This means, if you stacked the size of their heads vertically, you'd have the average and logical height.

STEP 8.

Notice how the body is proportioned and the hips almost perfectly aligned with the shoulders. Note that female shoulders DO NOT sharpen and erect perfectly straight like the horridly drawn figure to the right. Observation is key!

STEP 9.

Breast Variations| Now, here's a quick front and side turnaround on how diverse sizes of breasts can take affect on the figure. We have the very small, average, above average, and large DD cup breasts. Because gravity is continuously active on objects; the breasts will sink downwards with a sort of protrusion at the tips (nipples). NEVER draw breasts bulging outwards as if there is a force pushing them outwards or upwards, as shown in the figures demonstrated in grey. Also, keep notice on the patterned lines that trim the middle of the breasts on each figure. This dictates how overlaying objects will morph within the shape of its parent (clothes, accessories, etc

STEP 10.

Begin with draw out the shapes and guides to form a mannequin like figure that you will work with through out the lesson.

STEP 11.

Draw out the shape of the females face like so, then begin drawing out her hair which is covering her entire right or left side. The bangs I chose to draw are sharp and long.

STEP 12.

Here you will draw out the other side of her hairstyle like so, then add the detailing to the root part of her hair. Draw in the thin shaped eyebrow, then draw out the surprised looking eye. The top lid for her eye should be very thick and bold if you want this type of look on your anime figure. Add the nose and mouth then proceed on.

STEP 13.

Starting with the body draw out the neck, shoulders, then her arms which are cupped upward. The fists should also be drawn out because she will be gripping her clothing in later steps.

STEP 14.

Draw in the shape of her body which is the torso, waist and hips. Don't forget to draw in the straight lined crotch as well as the shapes of the bottom parts for her breasts.

STEP 15.

Draw in the cleavage like so, then sketch in some definition to the collar of her neck line. Draw the bandage like wrap that she is using to hide her sensitive parts, then draw the bandage around her hands, wrists and forearms. Be sure to also sketch out the lining to form her fingers too.

STEP 16.

Here you will sketch out the bandages on her hips and private area like so. If you want to add your own clothing you can do that instead. I wanted to leave her with very little clothing because I know that you guys like to dress up your anime figures your won way. Add detailing to her belly then you're done here.

STEP 17.

Lastly, draw in the long wavy length of her hair, then sketch in all the detailing that will add texture to her locks. Erase the mistakes that you made along the way.

STEP 18.

So now that you've practiced this one pose, you should go ahead and start practicing your own poses. The beginning step gave you a basic example of using skeletal lines before forming limbs. I hope you guys enjoy this one, a lot of time was invested into this tutorial. Let me know if any of this was helpful to your needs. Thanks so much and peace out!

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